The four Newton brothers are a poor farmer family in the 1920s. One day, the oldest of them, Willis, realizes that there's no future in the fields and offers his brothers to become bank robbers. Soon the family agrees. They become very famous robbers and execute the greatest train robbery in American history five years later.

Julie Ellis is deeply involved with her high school sweetheart, Luke, even though her parents object that she has made a commitment at such a young age. That commitment only deepens when Luke becomes ill. Wanting to stay close to Luke and offer him comfort, Julie defies her parents' wishes to go away to a prominent school.